Disappearing drop door for refrigerator and display cabinets, bins, etc.



DISAPPEARING DROP DOOR FOR REFRIGERATOR AND DISPLAY CABINETS, BINS, ETC

April 21; 1936. G. E. FRIEDRICH 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 19, 1935 Fig.2. 4

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GEORGE f. FRIEDRICH 21, 1936. s. E. FRIEDRICH DI-SQIPEARING DROP DOUH FOR REFRIGERATOR AND 33151 113! CABINETS, BIBS, ETC

Filed Dan, 19, 1935 4 sheets-sheet a DISAPPEARING DROP DOOR FOR REFRIQERATOR AND DISPLAY CABINETS, BINS, ETC

Fil'ed Dc. 19, 1955 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 r Patented Apr. 21, 1936' nmrrso STATES PATENT OFFICE accents DISAPPEARING DROP 1300B F03. REFRIG- ERATGE AND ETC.

DISPLAY CABMTS, BINS (George E. Friedrich, San Antonio, Tex, assignor to Ed. Friedrich, inc, San Antonio, Tern, a corporation of Texas Application December s, 1935, Sen-tall no, 55,252;

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the cabinet with a drop pocket at the back into which the door may be lowered and to provide side guideways for the door together with a balancing spring device located within the pocket iii and adjustably connected with the door insuch fashion that, under one adjustment, when the door is in a vertical position its entire weight may be balanced so that the door will remain in its lowermost position; will float between that position and a predetermined elevated position, and remain balanced above said predetermined position for a short distance and above the last men: I

tinned short distance the weight of the door plus the upthrust of the balancing means will effect a. closing movement of the door to its closed points; or when under another adjustment the door is over-balanced so that it will be 4 automatically raised and closed when released from any open (fully or partially) position. as may be desired by the user. 1

Other objects will in'part be obvious and in part be pointed out hereinafter.

To the attainment of the aforesaid objects and ends, the invention still further resides in the novel details of construction combination and arrangement. of parts, all of which will be first fully described in the following detailed descriptio'n. then be particularly pointed out in .the appended claims, reference being had to the accom- D y drawings, in which:-- Figure 1 is'an elevation looking at the rear of the cabinet and shows the door closed (the cover plate being removed and parts broken away).

Figure 2 is a similarview with the door open. Figure 3 is a detail cross section on the line 3-3 of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a detail crosssection on the line J-JpfI'lgure2.

Figure 5'is"an*"elevation showing in full lines 50- the door raised by the springs to a position where the door remains in static balance (springs ll having completed their lifting function); and in dotted lines showing the door lifted to the position where it begins to swing to close (pins 22 enter curves i5) through the swinging'movement of it the door on pins 23 as a pivot.

Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of one of the slotted door-guiding plates.

Figure 7 is a detail perspective view of the plate 2i.

In the drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate like parts in all the figures, i indicates the bottom of the" cabinet, display case, or bin, 2 the top and 3 the rear wall thereof.

The rear wall is provided with a pocket or well 16 to receive the drop-doorj there being-an outer plate or cover t which may be removable for purposes of inspection and adjustment of the door mechanism.

A shelf s may be provided, if desired, on the so" rear wall adjacent to the top of the pocket 4.

The door-way frame I is set at an inclination and has a recess 8 to receive the top edge or lip 64 of the door (see Fig.- 3). A marginal gasket, preferably, of a resilient tubular structure this 25 secured to the frame I on the door side of the opening it).

The cabinet maybe provided with the usual goods displaying shelf I I located on suitable rests indicated in Figs. 3 and 4. 80

At each sideof the pocket 4 is secured, in any suitable way, a door-guiding slotted side plate i3 having a vertical slot 43 and a combined vertical, curved and inclined slot [4,15, 16, the slot 43 terminating within the pocket 4 while the slot 8 l4-l5-l6 extends above the pocket 4 (see Figures 3 and 4) The door sash lfl may be provided with the usu 7 a1 transparency or transparencies l8, and latch I 9, the latter cooperating with a. keeper 20 on 40 the cabinet when the door is closed (Figure 3);

At each side the door carries a plate 2| having an upper guide pin 22' and a lower guide pin 23, the pins 22-23 being out of alignment with one another so that a pin 23 may work in a slot 43 45 while the other pin 22 works in the adjacent slot ll-li-IG.

Extending between the plates 2l-2l below the door and carrying the pins 23. in a cross-bar 24 preferably of U or channel section and having midway its ends, a pivot pin 21 to which the adjacent ends of two pairs of links 2525 and 2625 are pivoted. The remote ends of each pair are pivoted respectively at 42 to the remote ends of two pairs of levers 28-28 and 2929, the adjacent ends of which are pivoted at 3| to a bracket 30 on the bottom I, within the pocket 4. Between each pair of levers 2823 and 29-29 is pivoted, at 33 and 35 respectively, swivel bearing blocks 32 and 34. f

A rod 31 passes horizontally through bearing apertures in the blocks 32 and carries springs '4I-4l which are held'between the respective blocks 32 and the adjusting nuts 33 that are threaded on the ends of the'rod 31. A rod 36 passes'horizontally'through bearing apertures in the blocks 34-34 and carries springs 40-40 which are held between the respective blocks 34 and in static balance in a partly lowered position (Fig- 'ure and may be moved byspring action from its lowest position to said partly lowered position by simply giving the door manually.

By increasing the tension of the spring 40 beyond that just specified, the door may be overbalanced, i. e., it will not remain dowh in the well but will be automatically lifted and closed upon releasing the door, after it has been lowered by hand against the spring tension.

Assuming the tension of the springs to be set as a slight upward start .first above mentioned, when the door is to. be

opened the operator grasps the handle of the latch I 9 and pulls the door in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3 to a vertical position, the weight of the door then becomes sufilcient to cause it to curved portion 15 of the slot l4-l5-l6 when the door, drops over to the closed position, swinging on the pins 23 as a pivot.

If the spring-lever-link system be adjusted with greater tension than has just been assumed, the weight of the door may be over-balanced so that it must be held down in the wall 4, and when by those skilled in the art.

WhatIclaimisa' 1. A chambered body having an inclined doorway, and a well below the same, a drop-door for closing said doorway and arranged-to be received by said well when the door is opened, a lever-linkspring assembly located in said well and\ connecting said door with said body as a door counterbalance, door guides at the side of said well and means on said door and operatively engaging with said guides for eifecting a swinging .movement oi. the door from its closed-inclinedposition to a position aligning with said well and for holding said door parallel to the well while the door is within the well.

2. A chambered body having a well or pocket and an inclined doorway above the pocket, a drop-door for closing said doorway, slotted guides at the sides of said pocket, said door having two sets of pins cooperating with said guides, the guides having two sets of slots one' for each set of pins, one, set of slots having curved portions for efiecting a swinging movement of the door 1 on leaving and arriving at the closed position and a spring-balance mechanism in the pocket for cooperation with the door.

3. In cabinets, having an inclined doorway, a-

vertically disposed door receiving well or pocket below the doorway, a pair of guide plates at the sides of the well each plate including a first vertical groove and a second groove offset from the first vertical groove, the second groove ineluding a lower vertical portion merging with an upper curved portion that in turn merges with a portion directed inwardly toward the doorway, said door having side'plates extending into the well and carrying two sets of pins, one set for each set of grooves, one set of pins being located above the other set, the higher set of pins working in the second set of grooves and the lower set of pins operating in the first set of grooves and also serving as a pivot for the door to swing on in moving from its inclined position to a position paralleling the well and vice versa, a cross-bar joining the lower pins, and a counterbalancing spring mechanism connected to said cross-bar within the well for cooperating with the door.

4. In cabinets, having an inclined doorway. a vertically disposed door receiving well or pocket below the doorway, a pair of guide plates at the sides of the well, each plate including a first vertical groove and a second groove ofl'set from the first verticalgroove, the second groove including a lower vertical portion merging with an upper curved portion that in turn merges with a" portion directed inwardly toward the doorway, said door having side plates extending into' the well and carrying two sets of pins, one set for each set of grooves, one set of pins being located above the other set, the higher set oi pins working in the second set of grooves and the lower set oi pins operating in the first set of grooves and also serving as a pivot for the door to swing on in moving from its inclined position to a position paralleling the well and vice versa, a cross-bar joining the lower pins, divergent links pivoted at one end centrally to said cross-bar, divergent levers pivoted at one end to the cabinet, the other ends of the respective levers and links being pivoted together, and compression springs connected with said levers continuously tending to move the levers to lift the door.

5. In cabinets, havingan inclined doorway, a

vertically disposed door receiving well or pocket below the doorway, a pair of guide plates at the sides of the well, each plate including a first vertical grooveand a second groove ofise't from the first vertical groove, the second groove including a lower vertical portion merging with an upper curved portion that in turn merges with well and Carrying two sets of pins, one set for .of the respective levers and links being pivoted together, and compression springs connected with said lever continuously tending to move the levers to lift the door and other compression springs operating only through a portion of the path of movement of the levers to augment the action of the first mentioned compression springs.

63. In cabinets, having an inclined doorway, a vertically disposed door receiving well or pocket below the doorway, a pair of guide plates at the sides of the well, each plate including a first vertical groove and a second groove ofiset from the first vertical groove, the second groove including a lower vertical portion merging with an upper curved portion that in turn merges with a portion directed inwardly toward the doorway, said door having side plates extending into-the well and carrying two sets of pins, one set for each set of grooves, one set of pins being located above the other set, the higher set of pins' working in the second set of grooves and thelower set of pins operating in the first set of grooves and also serving as a pivot for the door to swing on in moving from its inclined position to a position paralleling the well and vice versa, a cross-bar joining the lower pins, divergent links pivoted at one end to said cross-bar, divergent levers pivoted at one endto the cabinet, the other ends of the respective levers and links being pivoted together, an upper and a lower set of swivel blocks pivoted to said levers, rods passing through the sets of swivel blocks, springs on each rod, and spring action adjusting nuts on each rod, said springs being located on said rods between each nut and swivel block of each rod.

7. In rabinets, havingan inclined doorway, a vertically disposed door receiving well or pocket below the doorway, a pair of guide plates at the sides of the well, each plate including a first vertical groove and a second groove offset from the first vertical groove, the second groove ineluding a lower vertical portion merging with a portion directed inwardly toward the doorway, said door having side plates extending into the well and carrying two sets of pins, one set for each set of groove one set of pins being located above the other set, the higher set of pins working in the second set of grooves and the lower set of pins operating in the first set of grooves and also serving as a pivot forthe door to swing on in moving from its inclined position to a position paralleling the well and vice versa, a cross-bar joining the lower pins, divergent links pivoted at one end centrally to said crossbar, divergent levers pivoted at one end to the cabinet, the other ends of the respective levers and links being pivoted together, an upper and a lower set of swivel blocks pivoted to said levers, rods passing through the sets of swivel blocks, springs on each rod, and spring action adjusting nuts on each rod, said springs being located on said rods between each nut and swivel block of each rod, 35

the lower spring, rod and block assembly constituting the main door-counterbalancing and lifting device and the upper spring, rod and block assembly being auxiliary thereto for pur-- poses described.

' GEORGE E. FRIEDRICH. 

